


Boyfriend from Manhattan

by Mustang_Girl16



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Blind Date, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:07:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27196906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mustang_Girl16/pseuds/Mustang_Girl16
Summary: After a series of bad blind dates, Natasha is at her breaking point, however, when she goes to tell her friends she's done with dating, and that she'd like her box of cats now, she can't do it. She can't handle the embarrassment of telling them about another failed date, another man who can't see past her boobs or her past, so she does what she does best: she lies and she lies hard.Warning this is a slow burn.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 9
Kudos: 27





	Boyfriend from Manhattan

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone long time, so this was something I thought up near the beginning of quarantine here in America. It's been hard, I haven't really written a lot and haven't posted anything in over a year, so I said duck it, I know what I want for this, don't worry about length or anything we need Romanogers now more than ever just do it if not for them for yourself.  
> Also yes it's another fake relationship but with a twist, just when I think I can't possibly come up with another fake dating I come up with this!  
> The title is a play on the "fake girlfriend/boyfriend from Canada" expression we have in the United States for when we think a persons significant other isn't real because you never see or hear from them or you think the person is desperate enough to lie and say they have someone they just aren't from around wherever they live.  
> Tags and characters will be updated as chapters get added, I cannot guarantee a consistent update schedule. I just can't. I work full-time now, my anxiety is higher than a kite but I am trying to write several chapters at a time so I hopefully don't fall behind.  
> If you are a reader of The Hastings: no I haven't given up I got a spurt last month of inspiration and then three days later got a spurt of extreme anxiety (not related to writing) that led me to crying on my moms bedroom floor effectively killing that stream inspiration for the time being, but I haven't given up and don't plan to.  
> And yes I do seek counseling, have been for almost a year and the fact that was only breakdown in all this is actually kind of surprising.  
> Disclaimer: plot mine, original characters mine, if I made money off this I wouldn't need a full-time job that I'm kind of hating at the moment, anything else?

Natasha walked leisurely, sipping a glass of champagne, her hand trailing lightly over the various reems of silk, satin, and lace that lined the walls of the small studio above the most prestigious bridal shops in Manhattan:

_Pierre Premier Bridal designs for everlasting love_

It was a little girl’s dream-or what she thought might be a little girl’s dream. She supposed she really wouldn’t know, never having been a real little girl herself. But based on Lila’s reaction when she told her she would be joining Pepper for her first fitting today, it was. With just four months to go until the big day it seemed like everything was becoming more and more centered around love and weddings. The living room at the facility had become home to wedding décor and mock set ups for how the tables and center pieces should look, photos of the suits and bridesmaids’ dresses, guest lists, and entrée orders. She’d offered to help of course with Pepper’s family out west until the wedding she knew Pepper would try and take it all on herself. And if she was honest, she didn’t mind. It was nice working on something that didn’t involve the end of the world or aliens or magic stones.

She finally came to a stop in front of a corkboard off to the side that held the various sketches of Pepper’s dress. When Tony announced their engagement, people went a bit crazy. After all, it’s not every day a billionaire superhero gets married. They’ve been screening calls for caterers, to hotels, to photographers. Everyone wanted the chance to be a part of the big day. But much to everyone’s disappointment, Pepper wasn’t all that into the idea of a big blowout wedding that would cost more than a small island. Tony, of course, couldn’t care less what it cost just that it was what they both wanted and that they got married. Though he was a bit disappointed when Pepper shot down his idea for a crystal encrusted sword to cut their cake with.

“What do you think?” Natasha turned around to see Pepper step out from the dressing room and onto the pedestal in the center of the room with her gown on grinning ear to ear as Pierre came up beside her to admire his work.

“Oh Pepper, you look stunning! Pierre you’re a genius in your own right.” Pepper’s grin grew, as if possible, as Pierre adjusted the detachable satin train to flutter down around the pedestal. The dress itself was a strapless mermaid gown made of ivory brocade fabric in a classic flur-de-le pattern with a straight neckline made of satin to match the train and buttons down the back. The train was attachable at the waist leaving the front of the gown visible while adding length and tradition to the modern style gown. It truly was the perfect dress, and judging from the unwavering smile on Pepper’s face, she thought so as well.

“If you like this you should let me design one for you,” Pierre quipped. She smiled shaking her head at the designer’s silly notion.

“Oh, that’s very sweet of you, but I’m afraid I wasn’t made for white.” _Like a lot of other things._ Natasha thought, as she distracted herself with taking another large sip of her champagne.

“Nonsense! Your olive skin begs for it! Nothing would do other than white. Simple, just a touch of design, but your hair! That would be the showstopper,” Pierre described coming up to her and pushing her fiery red locks over her shoulders.

“While I’m sure your right, you’re forgetting one tidbit, I’m afraid I’m lacking in the one thing you need to get married: a partner.”

At this point it was safe to say she was chronically single, though really, she’d always been. Dating wasn’t something she was prone to do. Maybe it was how she was raised, maybe it was how much she worked, but she never really felt like it was right. There had been no point, not with who she was. Even if she had found someone, she didn’t have the life one needed to make things like falling in love stick.

“I cannot help you there,” Pierre conceded going back to Pepper to check the pinning work his assistant Andre had started.

“You know,” Pepper began bringing the attention back to her. “I happen to know a guy who’s available and one hell of a cook.”

“Don’t tell me-he owns a restaurant,” Natasha mocked, knowing exactly where this was headed. Pepper smirked over her shoulder, turning at Pierre’s direction.

“Michelin star to be exact. I think you might like him, that is if you managed to pry yourself from the facility.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. Even if she did manage to find a moment to herself what was the point? She wasn’t exactly someone you bring home to mother and besides, it wasn’t like her life was lacking…was it?

“Thank you, but I’m happy exactly where I am.” It wasn’t a lie, she was happy. She had a stable life for the first time in who knows how long; she has friends, family, a cat.

“I never said you weren’t happy, you don’t date because you’re unhappy in your life, you do it because you want to enhance your happiness.”

“She’s right,” Pierre added, coming back to stand next to her, “love is built on top of preexisting happiness, you can’t go into a relationship unhappy and expect the other to supplement your happiness.”

“That’s true, but I’ve lived through a lot, and I’m grateful for what I have now. It’s more than I ever thought I would have, no sense in pushing it for more if I don’t need it.” Pushing was only asking for trouble and that was not what she wanted.

“So, you’re okay with not having someone to say goodnight to? Someone to hold you, someone to love you?” Pepper pried stepping down from the pedestal. “I’ve known you for six years now and for six years I’ve watched you throw yourself into helping others find their happiness, their love, and because I’ve known you for so long I can say this: people help people because they know what it’s like and want others to have what they don’t or can’t have. I mean let’s face it, you have been planning this wedding, fielding every problem and hurdle for what? And don’t say because you’re our friend! Whether you know it or not part of you wants this as much as anyone, and you deserve it more than you know.”

Natasha let her words sink in creating a pang in her chest. Could she really be enjoying all this because she wants it herself?

“Just think about it?” Pepper asked, rubbing her arm to bring her back out of her head.

She nodded not knowing what else to say. It seemed to satisfy the other woman enough as she went back to the pedestal to let Pierre and Andre continue pinning her dress. The remainder of the fitting consisting of all smiles and laughs; but on the inside, Natasha couldn’t stop thinking about what Pepper had said and the little bits of truth spreading through her like a bush fire. The idea of someone loving her, of her loving someone enough to marry, was almost too much to handle.

_Almost._

“What was his name?” Natasha inquired, breaking the silence that had taken over since leaving the studio to go back to the facility.

“Who?” Pepper asked, looking up from her phone.

“The chef, the one with the Michelin Star?” Natasha felt her throat tighten instinctively, afraid to let the words out.

Pepper smiled, making it smaller than Natasha could tell it was.

“Jerome, his name is Jerome. This is going to be great Nat, I promise!”

Natasha nodded, unable to say anything else as the weight of her decision began sinking in. This was going to be good-no this was going to be great, the best decision she’s ever made. Or possibly the last straw needed to turn her into a full-fledged crazy cat lady.

_God please don’t let this turn her into a crazy cat lady._


End file.
